Digital water meter reading tech for improved consumer satisfaction

Digital water meter reading tech for improved consumer satisfaction

Gerwin Jansen

21 Dec 2015

21 Dec 2015

A Human Centered Design journey in Mozambique

The Dutch venture Mobile Water Management (MWM) develops low-cost automated field data collection solutions. One of their products is a water meter reading application that allows water operators to simply use a smartphone to take a picture of a water meter which will be recognized and read by the software that feeds the result into the billing system. MWM is one of BoPInc’s partners in the AIAS program, a public-private partnership with parties such as Vitens Evides International, MWM and VIA Water. The program is co-funded by the Dutch government. The main objective of the program is to improve access to water and sanitation services in small towns in Mozambique.

While the developments and testing of the computer vision software for the Mozambican water meters are in full swing, the consortium of COLLINS, MWM and BoPInc is exploring a range of additional opportunities that this technology could provide for water distributors such as COLLINS in Mozambique. Last October we embarked on a Human Centered Design (HCD) trajectory with the aim to collect important insights from the customers and personnel of COLLINS. These insights will be translated into concepts and solutions for improved services offered by COLLINS to its customers triggered and enabled by the MWM innovation.

Human Centered Design requires empathic interviewing and observation skills as this will allow you to find out what is on the mind of the stakeholders and to comprehend what they really require. This is an effective approach because of the high level of uncertainties and unknowns in emerging markets such as Mozambique). For the observations and interviews, we engaged a small team of designers in Maputo. The team members acquired their skills through the training in HCD methodologies that was offered by IBA.ventures.

For the first round of collecting insights, the Mozambican design team traveled North to Moamba village where they were welcomed by Mercinda, a COLLINS staff member. She goes out daily to read the water meters and deliver the invoices to more than 500 customers that were assigned to her. While Mercinda was performing the meter reading, the design team closely watched each step she took and the social interaction between her and the customer. It turned out that Mercinda was doing a lot more than just reading the meters and delivering the invoices. As she put it: “I always have an interest in providing information to customers about the water supply to avoid embarrassment in the future and to encourage them to pay timely”. Apparently, customers relied on Mercinda's services and information to a large extent, making Mercinda more than just a water meter reader or ‘postwoman’ for bill delivery. Water meter readers like Mercinda are an important touchpoint for COLLINS that needs ‘nurturing’ and the best possible tools to represent and engage with customers contributing to customers satisfaction.

Furthermore the team observed that while customers understand the principle of the water meter for the purpose of measuring and billing water consumption, most have no idea what the relationship is between the numbers on the meter, the bill and their water consumption habits. If the water meter readers, like Mercinda would be able to use a smartphone with a MWM application, this would not only make the reading and billing procedure a lot more efficient, it would also create opportunities to provide Mercinda with relevant and real-time information that she could use to better advise customers on how they can improve their water consumption and payment habits.

COLLINS, MWM and BoPInc are using the acquired insights from the HCD field trips to generate ideas for application of the MWM technology in the short and long term. Some of the key insights we have prioritized are:

consumers want to feel like they are in control over their water consumption;

consumers would like to have a good understanding of their water consumption; and

consumers would like to have the flexibility of billed water services and easy payment solutions.

All in all we are heading towards realizing cost benefits for COLLINS and introducing a ‘tool’ that will enable COLLINS to strengthen its activities through the empowerment of their water meter readers who could become ‘water advisors’ for customers.

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